Scotland’s Red Squirrels

…and living space, making it difficult for red squirrels to successfully breed and for their young to survive. When grey squirrels move into a new area, red squirrels can be completely replaced within 15 years. The grey squirrel is a North American species that was first introduced to Britain in Victorian times, to decorate the gardens of large stately homes…. […]

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Q&A with Sarah Woodfin, Project Manager with Trees for Life’s Red Squirrel Reintroduction Project

Charity Trees for Life has been working since 1993 to restore previously lost native habitats and species to the Scottish Highlands. Since 2016 their Red Squirrel Reintroduction Project has worked to help red squirrels repopulate areas where they had previously gone extinct, translocating more than 200 red squirrels to 10 new areas in the northwest Highlands, creating thriving new populations…. […]

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North East Volunteer Spotlight: Celebrating our volunteer Janice Drew as she moves on to pastures new!

…foot, by bike, and sometimes with her guide dog puppy in training, “Simon”. We are absolutely gutted to be saying goodbye to Janice as she moves to pastures new, but we know that she will continue to make a difference wherever she is. So, to Janice, thank you for more than two years volunteering for Aberdeen’s red squirrels, and farewell,… […]

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Community Hub FAQs

…(Scottish Wildlife Trust registered) – Central Lowlands and North East Go to www.scottishsquirrels.org.uk Click the Hub Login box, then click Register Once registered, login with your details Join the SSRS volunteering group (following the steps in this video, especially at the beginning and at minute 01:58). A member of the team will be in touch and/or send you an invite… […]

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A lucky escape!

…of bait out in the hope of a few squirrels or maybe even a marten. The very first thing to find the bait was a marten! Then by day there were heaps of squirrels. See this link for a cool video of what is known, technically speaking, as a scurry of squirrels. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rik6pGV0KlI All very nice, but imagine Gus’ surprise… […]

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Hawick, Selkirk and Denholm Red Squirrel Network – One Year Later

…South Scotland became independent, retaining use of the SSRS Community Hub and other resources. We catch up with Bill Ferguson from the Hawick, Selkirk and Denholm network to hear how they have been getting on. Since becoming an independent group in April 2022, HSD Red Squirrel Network has been led by our 5 dedicated committee members: the Chair, Treasurer, Secretary,… […]

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South Scotland

…squirrel numbers low enough to reduce the chance of grey squirrel passing the disease to local red squirrels. Thanks to grey squirrel control work by staff, landowners and volunteers, the virus has spread as quickly Central Belt as first initially expected. However, complete containment has proved difficult and the disease continues to slowly expand. In a radical change of strategy,… […]

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Busy breeding

…of factors including availability of food, weather, and body condition. Body weight, closely linked to food abundance, is integral to breeding success; female squirrels must reach a minimum weight to breed (around 280-300g). In areas where food is plentiful, two litters of kittens (or kits) may be born, the first in early spring (Feb/Mar) and the second in summer (May/June)…. […]

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This Year's Sightings